


You Could Never Truly Understand Your Neighbor

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, M/M, Slow Burn, Weirdness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:39:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8749210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It amazed even him that, even after seven years of living next to each other, his neighbor - Yamaguchi - had yet to learn of his name.





	

He was thoughtlessly pouring the hot coffee inside of his cup when a flash of blonde and pale skin passed by. His hand stopped moving, just as the cup was about to overflow.  A single drop of thick, dark liquid fell into the table and he clicked his tongue, but it wasn’t like he’d clean it up. He never did.

There was a crashing sound coming from outside of the kitchen, followed by a low groan he knew so well. He wanted to ignore it, he really did, and not because he was about to drink his coffee (it was still unpleasantly hot and a little too dark to be appetizing), but because he liked the smell of burnt toast lingering in his kitchen early in the morning. Putting that aside, he couldn’t just ignore the tinge of curiosity gnawing at the back of his head. Leaving his drink to cool down on its own, he walked to the living room while untying his apron.

“You dyed your hair again,” He said. “Are you sure your workplace is going to see pass through that?”

“No, but I told them beforehand.” His roommate answered, not looking at him. His hands were busy collecting the shoes that were scattered all over the place.

He scoffed in response. “That won’t change the outcome. You’re no longer in your rebellious stage, Kenma.”

“Look.” Kenma finally stood up, but even then, he could barely look at Tsukishima eye-to-eye. He clutched two pairs of shoes tight into his chest, like his life depends on it. “I stood up too much. They thought I’m gloomy and anti-social and the girls were calling me _emoi,_ ”

“But you are,” Tsukishima said.

Kenma smiled a little, but his eyes weren’t. He ignored his roommate’s rude remark and turned around. While assembling the shoes back at their rack, Tsukishima opened his mouth once again.

“If you’re fired then who’s going to pay the rent?”

“I’m not going to get fired.”

“Perhaps.”

“Then why don’t you look for a job, then.” Kenma grabbed his case and unlocked the front door.

“Hey! I paid for the groceries. And cook too.” Tsukishima was standing straight now, hands on his hips.

Kenma promptly slipped his shoes on without much of a sound, and the room was pleasantly quiet once again. It was almost eight o’clock, and an unemployed wuss like Tsukishima would never understand what the rush is for. The only sound that caught his ear was the clanking of keys. It was when Kenma reached out for the door knob that he decided to break the silence.

“No breakfast today either?” Tsukishima asked.

Kenma reluctantly shook his head. “’m late. Go ahead and eat without me. And, oh – “ the older man turned around sharply, and Tsukishima could see that his mood was little elevated. Just a bit.

“What?”

“The cat. He hasn’t come home for days now. I think. His bowl was left untouched.”

“I know.” Tsukishima said matter-of-factly, because he was indeed the one in charge of feeding it. Kenma was more of a _cuddler_ kind of guy.

“Then can you please have a look around the neighborhood today? He might not get that far, but I’m starting to get a little worried…”

Tsukishima gave a tiny noise that could count as a hiss and leaned his weight against a wall next to him. “You know, cats’ll come back. It’s in their nature.”

“But he’s not like other cats,” Kenma went on, a deep frown on his face. Little by little Tsukishima was starting to be convinced that his roommate is actually falling in love with their _cat_. “Just… go look for him.”

“Fine.” Tsukishima muttered under his breath.

Kenma closed the door shut without any goodbyes and with that, Tsukishima was left staring at the door, surrounded by silence once more. After a few seconds of stillness, he willed his feet to tear himself away from the place.

Now where could that cat be? Knowing him, he’d probably walked to the end at the earth just to annoy the shit out of Tsukishima, and then hopped back into Kenma’s lap whenever he misses the warmth. That’s just how that cat is – and Tsukishima almost slapped himself on the face for trying to figure out the personality of a _cat._ He didn’t want to waste any fruitless effort in trying to find his pet, but nevertheless, he felt bad for Kenma, and after years and years of being friends and flatmates with him, he could never say no to the older guy. He wondered if he had already been within Kenma’s grasp all this time after all.

He went to the kitchen and fetch himself two slices of burnt toasts, his coffee cold and bitter. A perfect way to start the day, he forced himself to think. The aftertaste was utterly unpleasant, and it was stuck inside of his mouth until he brushed his teeth for the second time that morning.

Now, since he had nothing better to do, he had to go cat hunting just to make Kenma happy. If he were to be honest, he didn’t really like cats. They’re noisy and had a distinctly horrible smell, and he couldn’t fathom why people would keep them as lifetime pet. His own stupid cat is not different. That cat loved Kenma and loved _to irritate_ Tsukishima. If it weren’t for his blonde-obsessed friend Tsukishima would’ve thrown the stupid cat out long ago.

Well, if the cat got tired and hungry, he’d definitely go home, Tsukishima always thought. But Kenma wasn’t buying it, obviously. He said they (Kenma and the kitty) have a _connection_.

Anything for Kenma, he guessed.

 

* * *

 

 

His phone rang exactly at ten o’clock, the alarm was for his Developmental Biology class but he turned it off. It wasn’t as if he was planning on going to class this week, or next week, or weeks to come. He didn’t even know when his sudden disinterest started, but it just did and now he took a two-month leave from his study. Maybe he needed a break, or a change; but a break from …what exactly? Tsukishima was unsure about almost everything at this point; though he was a hundred percent sure that he’d regret the decision he’d made.

“But what’s done is done,” He murmured while pulling a long-sleeved shirt from the dresser. Right. Nothing could be done now. Except for finding Kenma’s cat. That seemed to be the best alternative for now. Walking outside did sound far better than to be sitting around inside the house, whining over his pathetic excuse for a life.

Sunlight streamed in through the room when he opened the door, and he could see the flickering dust floating just overhead. It was still on the edge of spring, summer’s just around the corner but the heat that comes with it was unsolicited. The air was stagnant with the occasional wind but nothing that could clear away the humidity prickling at his skin. That aside, the sky was the clearest that month, and hopefully, it’d continue. At least there were something to look forward to. He walked a bit forward, to the end where he leaned against the handrail to look at the floors below him. Nope, no cat in sight. Just the same empty alleyway, even though there were dozens of families living just beneath him.

He stared down for quite a while, until he got dizzy and backed away. Now that he thought about it, he had no idea where to start looking. That goddamn cat could be _anywhere_ by now, and he lived in a ten-stories building, for Christ’s sake! Good, even without the cat in sight, it still managed to piss Tsukishima beyond relief.

Should he look upstairs first? The nice old-lady who lived above him tend to feed his cat weird food, after all. Maybe she held it captive. Forced it to eat her leftover and dessert because his child and grandchildren left her. Quite despicable, but still a possible scenario. While walking past two staircases at a time, he wondered how Kenma would react to that.

It turned out, the cat wasn’t there, or anywhere on that floor. He walked past the old-lady’s door twice just to make sure. He tried calling for it at the end of the staircase leading up, but there was no response whatsoever. (God, who’s he trying to fool, exactly.)

It was starting to get hot. His shirt was sticking uncomfortably into his skin, so he walked back down to his floor, fanning himself the best he could with his hands when he heard a soft, humming sound. He looked up and squinted his eyes to see a guy standing just where he was a few minutes ago, arms pressed against the railing. He was lean, his limbs long and hair messy, and he reminded Tsukishima about summer. Quite random, he knew, but it was the first thing that came up in his mind. He wore a thin sleeveless T-shirt that shows off his tan freckled skin, in contrast to Tsukishima’s. He had a melting popsicle in his mouth – like it was stuck there.

“Hello.” He popped the ice cream out of his mouth and said to Tsukishima, “It’s hot isn’t it.”

“Yeah.” He answered promptly.

After the brief exchange, the guy kept his eyes on him as Tsukishima closed the distance between them, the popsicle slowly dripping down his hand. Tsukishima was planning on staying at that exact same spot until he attains enlightenment, but with Mr. Stranger over there, there was no way it wouldn’t be awkward. Now that he looked at it closely, the guy had rather round eyes – pretty uncommon for guys.

“You live here? In this floor?” The guy asked.

Tsukishima’s eyes flickered to the door just right behind them, not sure if the stranger would understand his gesture. “Yeah.”

“Really? Then, we’re practically neighbors!” He exclaimed, turning around to face him properly. “I live there, number three-zero-nine.” He pointed at the door right next to Tsukishima’s.

Oh. So he’s the mysterious _Yamaguchi-san_ who in seven years, had never resurface, _ever_ – or that’s what Tsukishima heard of. Not that he’d seen the face of the rest his neighbors before, but he knew Takeda-san at his right, Miyako-san from room three-zero-four, and some familiar faces. This person though, was new to him. He was also certain that Kenma had yet to meet him either.

“I see. I’ve never seen you before.” _In my life._

“I usually got home very late. Or not go home at all.” Yamaguchi said with a sheepish smile.

 _Whatever_ , Tsukishima told himself. _This guy might as well be of help to me._ “I’m looking for my cat.” He explained shortly, wiping a sweaty palm on his pants. “It’s been gone for a while. It probably around here somewhere.”

“What kind of cat?”

“A big tom. Black all over. Long, black tail.” Did he just say black twice? Shit.

“Name?”

“Kuro. Kuroo Tetsurou.”

Yamaguchi blinked at him. “No, not your name. The cat’s.”

Now it was Tsukishima’s turn to blink. It amazed even him that, even after seven years of living next to each other, his neighbor - Yamaguchi - had yet to learn of his name. Just how ignorant could this man be? “That _is_ my cat’s name.”

“Oh. Wow.” Yamaguchi smiled for the first time, lightening up his feature. “What kind of name is that.”

“Don’t ask me. My friend named it.” Using his middle finger, Tsukishima pushed his glasses up. He later wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Hmm. Does it have a tag or anything?”

“No.”

Yamaguchi looked over at him once again before his popsicle melted down and fell to the first floor, slowly, like they did in movies. He gasped in horror – like he’d just experience a death in the family, a look of concern washed over his face as he watched the poodle of white four-stories beneath him.

“You know, maybe I did see a cat like that,” He said without bothering to look at Tsukishima. “I’m not completely sure but, you’re the owner, you’d know.”

“When did you see it?”

“When? Hmm. I couldn’t exactly recall but, there’s this _konbini_ just around the corner and stray cats usually _hang out_ there, you know.” Yamaguchi turned his head a little to the left, where the exit from the apartment complex lies. “I frequent there so I would know. It’s the perfect spot for cats who are tired of manufactured canned foods.”

For the record, Kenma only feeds it dry food, but it was nothing important to actually argue about.

“I’ve got an idea.” Yamaguchi said suddenly, finally looking at him. “Why don’t we go there, and you could buy me Ice Creams while we wait? All the cats will eventually group up there, so you might find it in no time.”

Tsukishima hesitated. Not because the invitation was a teeny bit suspicious, but as to why should he buy Yamaguchi Ice Cream?

“Don’t worry.” He said. “The manager knows me. Besides, it’ll be pretty empty this time of the day, so it’ll be okay for us to hang there. I’ll help you find the cat, I’m good at finding stuff, you know!”

Tsukishima peeked at the clock in his phone. Eleven past twelve. Well, it wasn’t as if he had any work to begin with. A little trip to the convenience store wouldn’t hurt.

 

* * *

 

 

So, Tsukishima followed the guy to the small convenience store in their neighborhood that Tsukishima didn’t even know it exists. It was too small and looked like it might break down in a year or two, pretty sure any busy person wouldn’t even acknowledge it.

They settled down in the plastic chairs just in front of the store, with tiny parasol above their heads, barely blocking the sunlight. Yamaguchi placed down a variety of colorful flavored Ice Creams, that Tsukishima wasn’t sure he could even finish if he tries. Right across the store was a small alley, enough for one grown man to slipped through, where Yamaguchi said cats usually gather to steal leftovers from the store’s garbage bin. It was visible from where they were sitting with their back to the store, but there was nothing in that alley, no cats, _nothing_.

“Oh well, we’ll just have to wait.” Yamaguchi said, ripping one wrapping open. “Want some?”

“No thanks.”

“Don’t be shy.”

Tsukishima shook his head. He wasn’t such big fan of sweets in the first place. “Anyway, don’t you go to work?”

“Don’t you?”

“…I’m a graduate student.”

“That’s really not an excuse.” Yamaguchi bit the top of his melon-flavored ice. “I have a job, but I’m kinda at my days off now. Probably.”

What’s with that uncertain way of talking. It irked Tsukishima more than it should’ve.

“So without a job… how’d you pay the rent and stuff?”

“I live with my friends. And I have my earnings too.”

“Oh, the rich son, huh?” Yamaguchi hummed, meaning no harm. But Tsukishima was still pissed anyway. “You know… I never know your name. I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, by the way.”

“Tsukishima. Tsukishima Kei.”

Yamaguchi stared at him openly. Now that they were outside, the freckles on his face were apparent, like they dusted sand on his cheeks. “Tsukki, then. You should call me Tadashi too.”

“What? No.”

Yamaguchi looked a little offended. “Which one?”

“The nickname,”

“But I have so many Tsukishima in my life. See, there’s this newspaper guy named Tsukishima Ryou, Tsukishima from the post office, and my nephew Tsukihina – weird kid.”

That was a different name altogether and Tsukishima didn’t even try to conceal his grimace. As amusing as that sounds, he didn’t want the neighbor who never even show himself in the first place to be giving him weird nickname as he pleases. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re weird?”

Yamaguchi grinned. “I happen to like uncanny things. You, yourself. Reminds me of a box of chocolate.”

“What – “

“Speaking of weird, my nephew, Hina, he’s really weird. He likes Ice Cream – a bad influence of mine, I suppose, but he always eats the weird ones, like, his favorites are Miso and Chicken Wing Flavored Ice Creams. I get that his mother likes weird stuff too, but Ice Creams? Really?”

Out of courtesy, Tsukishima groaned inside of his head but still listened.

“You think it’s in the family? Like it ran in the bloodline or something?”

“Maybe.”

He stopped talking for a while, like he was sorting the information inside of that cramped brain of his. Tsukishima could even see the gears turning in his head, and it was a little entertaining than it looked like at first.

“You, how about you. Would you date a girl who eats Chicken Wing or Octopus flavored Ice Cream?”

Tsukishima folded his hands in front of him and began to close his eyes. The hot air felt so uncomfortable against his cheeks, but Yamaguchi’s chattering in almost soothing, slowly pulling him into drowsiness. “I don’t know.”

“What about someone who eats _Edamame_ flavored Kit Kat?”

“Aren’t you going to tell me about the chocolate box thingy first?” Tsukishima cracked an eye open.

Yamaguchi paused for a while before continuing. “When you see a pretty box of chocolate, don’t your mouth starts to water? Don’t you crave to open the box and reveal everything inside, imagining what each one would taste like?”

Tsukishima closed his eyes once again and hummed.

“I always liked chocolate, not as much as Ice Cream but… almost. Anyway, in a box filled with a variety of chocolates, there’s bound to be the bland one, right. The one we’d like the least…. Hey, if you’re sleepy, go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you when the cats are here.”

Tsukishima only nodded drowsily, his voice sounded so distant, like it was buried underneath tons of cotton. Soft, but muffled. He thought Yamaguchi would stop, but he was wrong.

“…Okay, nonetheless, I like the bland one. That one usually tastes better, because…”

At that point, the sounds were starting to blur together, the wind, the traffic, Yamaguchi’s voice… until it drowned inside the sea of his consciousness, and he couldn’t follow it all the way to the end before it disappeared.

 

When Tsukishima woke up, he was all alone. Yamaguchi had disappeared from where he was seated, but leaving empty wrappings of ice cream on the table as the only trace of his existence.

There was still no cat in his sight.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by Haruki Murakami's Wind Up Bird chronicles (only the beginning tho)


End file.
